Boiler cleaner



Marc-ll 11, 1930. Wl P, THOMAS 1750,548A

BOILER CLEANER Filed April 16, 1923 5 Sheets-Sheet l March 11, 1930. w. P. THOMAS BOILER CLEANER Filed April 16,

1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 @KNK wwuwm, W WM5 fluomus March l1, 1930. W THOMAS 1,750,548

BOILER CLEANER Filed 1April 16, 1925 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 IIL lll OO C) OO OO O0 Q/ OO OO O O OO OO O O/ OO 'GO O O OOOOOOOOOOOOOOO/ 000000'00000000 1f \f El nuenfoz mfg/f PTh/ovn/a/Jd tdmqnmjwwwm,

Patented Mar. 1l, 1930 PATENT OFFICE WILLIS P. THOMAS, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN,

ASSIGNOR TO DIAMOND POWER SPECIALTY CORPORATION, OF DETROIT, MICHIGAN, A CORPORATION OF MICHIGAN BOILER CLEANER Application filed April 16,

This invention relates to boiler cleaners and relates particularly to boiler cleaners in which a blower pipe having jet discharge openings is employed.

It is the object of the invention to provide for selectively closing a predetermined4 portion of the jet openings of a blower pipe while the remaining openings are functioning, so that a discharge of steam (or other l cleaning fluid) may be successively established in various portions of the pipe.

A further object of the invention is to eliminate necessity for a valve controlling the fluid supply to a blower pipe by directly I engaging with the jet openings of the pipe a closure member adapted in one position to cut olf the discharge through all of said openings.

In the drawings Figure 1 is a vertical sectional view of a blower tube equipped with the improved control means; the nozzles of said tube being all closed in the illustrated position of parts;

Figure 2 is a similar view of said pipe showing an adjustment of the closure member opening a groupl of nozzles in the left hand portion of the blower pipe;

Figure 3 is a sectional view on line 3-3 of Figure 1;

Figure 4 is a cross section on line 1-4 of Figure 1;

Figure 5 is a longitudinal section of said pipe on line 5-5 of Figure 2;

Figure 6 is a view in sectional elevation of a boiler equipped with the improved cleaner.

In these Views the reference character 1 designates a blower pipe provided with a row of suitably spaced nozzles 2 for discharging steam or Some other cleansing fluid. 3 is a head wherein thepipe 1 is journaled at one extremity, it being understood that said pipe may be rotatably supported at such other points as may be necessary. Any suitable means m'ay be employed for communieating rotation to said pipe, as for example the gear indicated at 4:. 5' is a tubular eXtension of the head 3 for conducting the cleansing fluidto the pipe 1 through a chamber 6 insaidhead.,Y 7 isanelongated platewithn 1923. Serial No. 632,337.

the pipe 1, transversely curved to conform to the contour of said pipe, said plate hav.- ing openings 8 for registration in one position of said plate with one set of the nozzles 2 and having another series of openings 9 for registration with another set of the nozzles 2 in a different position of adjustment of said plate. Said plate is held in close contact with the wall of the tube 1 by screws 8a fixed in said wall and paired to oppositely engage the plate 7. In the third position" of said plate (see Figure 1) both `series of apertures 8 and 9 are out of registration withfthe nozbles 2, so that all of the latter are closed. The end of the plate 7 adjacent the head 3 is provided with a pair of lugs 1() spaced axially of the pipe 1 and with said lugs is engaged one end of a rod 1 1 coaxial with the pipe'l and projecting through the chamber 6 and through a packed slide bearing 13 formed in the head 3. Exteriorly of said head the rod 11 is terminally pivoted, as indicated at 14, to a lever 15, the upper end of which is pivotally mounted upon an arm 16 integral with the head 3. Said lever is provided upon its lower end with a handle 17 to which is pivotally connected a control member 18 for a latch bolt 19 slidably mounted parallel to the lever 15 in a housing 20 integral with said lever. Vithin said housing there is disposed a coiled spring 21 acting upon the bolt 19 to normally urge the same into engagement with one of three sockets 22 formed in an arm 23 integrally projecting from the head 3. Thus the lever 15 is adapted to be held in any one of three positions, in one of which the openings 8 of the closure element 7 register with one group of adjacent nozzles 2, as is seen in Figure 2. In another of said positions (not shown) the openings 9 of the plate register with a different group of the nozzles 2; and in the third position, (Figure 1) all of the nozzles 2 are closed by the member 7.

In order that the plate 7 may properly function as a closure throughout its entire length it is desirable that said plate possess considerable flexibility as in such a length it is difficult to secure perfect conformity between the plate and the engaged 4Surface of the pip@-A It is. w

preferred therefore to increase the exibility of the plate by transversely notching the margins of said plates at regular intervals, as is indicated at 24, said notches in the respective margins being preferably opposed.

It will be noted (more particularly by refence to Figure 6) that the blower pipe l has an inlet connection at one end with the source of steam, steam being delivered to the cleaner (l) through the pipe (25). At its other end the cleaner (l) has an outlet opening into a header or pipe (26) leading to the usual appliances where the steam is used (such as a steam radiator, engine or other steam operated devices not shown). As the pressure in the pipe (26) is normally less than in the pipe (25) there is a continuous flow of steam through the blower pipe so that when, as is normally the case, all of the discharge openings 2 are closed, the relatively low temperature of the steam within said pipe as compared to the hot gases to which the pipe is eX- teriorly exposed serves as a protection to the pipe against the detrimental heating effect of said gases. Furthermore, the pipe l, particulai-ly when not used as a boiler cleaner, exercises t-he function of a steam super-heater since the temperature of the st-eam flowing through said pipe is raised owing to the high temperature exteriorly acting upon the pipe.

A further advantage of the described arrangement lies in the fact that when the pipe l is being utilized as a blower, steam may enter the same at both ends to discharge from the nozzles 2. Consequently the total capacity of the nozzles, which may simultaneously eect a discharge, may be twice that which would be permissible with a delivery of steam to the pipe at one end thereof only, as has heretofore been the practice. This advantage is especially important in installations in which the permissible maximum diameter of the blower pipe is limited by adjacent boiler tubes or other portions of the boiler.

A closure of the described character is advantageous primarily for use in blower pipes which are restricted in diameter and consequently in capacity because of the close spacing of the boiler tubes or for any other reason), the restriction of capacity being such that it is not feasible to discharge the cleansing fluid simultaneously froln all the nozzles in the blower pipe without an undesirable loss of pressure. Also the invention is advantageous for use when a simultaneous discharge of the cleansing fluid from all of the openings of a blower pipe would interfere with the draft of the boiler or otherwise detrimentally effect the boiler operation. lVhile the drawings disclose the nozzles of the blower pipe arranged in two groups adapted to be selectively uncovered it will be evident that there might be any desired number of groups of Vnozzle openings for the purpose of selective control.

By the term rotate, as used in the claims, is meant either one or more complete or par-- tial rotations of the blower pipe.

What l claim as my invention is l. The combination with a rotatable blower pipe having a purality of discharge openings, of a member adjustable within said pipe closing all of said openings in one position and different groups of said openings in other positions, and means for imparting rotation to said pipe.

2. The combination with a rotatable blower pipe longitudinally formed with a row of discharge openings, of a member adjustable longitudinally within said rotatable pipe and rotatable therewith to control said openings.

3. The combination with a rotatable blower pipe having a longitudinal row of discharge openings, of a plate longitudinally adjustable within said pipe to control said openings, said plate being curved in cross section to conform to the interior curvature of the pipe, means for imparting rotation to said blower pipe, and means for transmitting the rotative movement of said pipe to said plate.

4l. The combination with a rotatable blower pipe having a plurality of discharge openings, of a control member for said openings adjustable within said pipe, and an actuating elementfor said control member, means for rotating the blower pipe with respect to said actuating element, and latch means for holding said actuating member in a plurality of predetermined positions.

5. The combination with a rotative blower pipe having a plurality of discharge openings for a cleansing fluid, of a closure controlling said openings interiorly carried by said pipe and rotative therewith, a head in which said pipe is journaled, an actuating element for said closure mounted upon said head, and a control connection between said actuating element and the closure providing for rotation of the closure with respect to the actuating element.

6. The combination with a rotatable blower pipe having a series of longitudinally spaced discharge openings, of means for alternatively closing groups of said' openings irrespective of the rotative position of said blower pipe, and means for rotating said blower pipe.

7. The combination with a rotatable blower pipe arranged within a boiler and having an o enin0- for the discharUe of a cleanin0r fluid D b D 9 of a closure for said opening within said pipe adjustable to uncover the opening, means eX- teriorly of the boiler for adjusting said closure, and means for normally maintaining a circulation of a fluid through said pipe.

8. The combination with a rotatable blower pipe arranged within a boiler and formed with a longitudinal series of discharge openings, of pipes communicating with both ends of said rotatable blower pipe, one of said pipes extending Vto the source of fluid Supply and the other of said pipes being adapted to lead the fluid to a desired point of use, and means for closing said discharge openings to permit a flow of the fluid through said pipe to said point of use.

9. The combination with a blower pipe having a discharge opening, of a closure for said opening, said closure including an elongated plate shaped to conform to the blower pipe and having cut out portions for increasing its flexibility.

10. The combination with a blower pipe having a. discharge opening, of a closure for said opening, said closure including an elongated plate extending longitudinally within the blower pipe and shaped to conform to the blower pipe, the said plate having cut out portions for increasing its flexibility and being movable over the opening in said pipe.

11. The combination with a blower pipe, arranged within a boiler and having an opening for discharging fluid from the blower pipe adjacent parts of the boiler to be cleaned, of a closure for said opening, means for supplying fluid to be superheated to the blower pipe at one end thereof, means connected with the other end of the blower pipe for providing an outlet for the superheated fluid, said closure adapted to cover said opening during the superheating of the fluid, and means for moving said cover to cause fluid within the blower pipe to be discharged through the opening thereof.

12. In combination with a boiler having a superheating pipe adapted to normally superheat a fluid flowing therethrough, said pipe provided with a discharge opening, means for normally preventing discharge of fluid through said opening to permit superheating of the fluid, but adapted at other times to permit discharge of cleaning fluid from said pipe through said opening.

13. The combination with a rotatable blower pipe, of means for maintaining a constant circulation of cleaning fluid through said pipe and means separate from said first mentioned means, operable to permit a `discharge of the cleaning fluid from said pipe adjacent the surfaces to be cleaned.

14. The combination with a rotatable blower pipe having a discharge opening, of means for normally maintaining a circulation of cleaning fluid through said blower pipe and past said opening, and means operable to permit a discharge of the cleaning fluid through said opening.

15. The combination with a movable blower pipe having a plurality of discharge openings, of a member movable relative to said pipe for selectively closing vdifferent sets of said openings, means for moving said member, and means for moving said blower pipe and member relative to said first mentioned means. x

16. The combination with a boilerfhaving a heating surface, of means for cleaning said heating surface including a blower member extending in proximity to the heating surface of the boiler, and discharge openings in said blower member adapted when in operation to discharge jets of cleaning fluid to clean said heating surface, and means for keeping said discharge openings when not in use for discharging cleaning fluid closed and means for flowing a cooling fluid through said blower member to cool the same when not in operation.

17. The combination with a blower element arranged to extend transversely across a plurality of boiler tubes, said blower being rotatable about its axis and being provided with discharge openings spaced along said blower element for discharging jets of cleaning fluid adjacent said tubes to clean the same, of means located at the discharge openings for controlling the discharge of cleaning fluid from the interior of said blower element through said disch arge openings according to a predetermined desired sequence of the openings.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature.

WILLIS P. THOMAS.

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